Thousands evacuated after Mexico factory blast

31/03/2006 - 08:25:01
A series of explosions at an assembly plant in the Mexican border state of Coahuila forced the evacuation of thousands of residents near the industrial city of Monclova today.

The blasts occurred at a plant operated by Tokyo-based Takata Corporation that makes air-bags and other automotive restraint systems.

There were no immediate reports of victims in the blasts, said Baltazar Rico, a state representative of the Attorney General’s Office.

However, amid fear of further explosions, authorities had begun evacuating an estimated 8,000 households within a one-mile radius of the factory, Rico said.